A Good Soldier
by QueenofOld
Summary: James Logan Howlett is a soldier who does as he's told, no matter how questionable the order. When he becomes the unwitting participant in the plans to breed a mutant army, he follows through with an order that instructs him to breed a pretty southern spitfire. What happens when his affections for her force him to finally find his moral compass? AU Rogan with powers!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X Men. But I wouldn't mind renting Logan.**

**Author's Note: I told you, my faithful readers, that I would be stepping away from fanfic for a while, and I did. This story is actually one of my earliest Rogan pieces that I ultimately decided not to post due to the way I represented Logan in this story (or just certain parts of it). I felt that he was too OOC…or at least, too out of character for the type of man we (Rogan-lovers) all imagine him to be. Now, as cuddly and sweet as he was in the initial trilogy (and even in Origins), I never understood why the movie creators wanted us to think Logan harbored such severe self-hate. We never saw him do anything terrible. Even when he was a part of Stryker's team of mercenaries in Origins, we never saw Logan, himself, do anything bad. Yeah, he was with them when they did bad stuff, but I never saw HIM do anything that would truly enable him to say "I'm good at what I do, and what I do isn't nice." So, in my head, I started wondering…what if he DID do bad things? What kind of bad things would he do if Marie met him before he found his moral compass? What if he actually struggled with his morality? This story is an AU that answers that question (at least, in my own head).**

**You may hate Logan in this, but I encourage you to keep an open mind.**

* * *

Logan was a good soldier. Not because he wanted to be…or even because he was

born to be.

It was because he didnʼt know how to be anything else.

Heʼd tried relationships here and there and attempted to live some semblance of a

"normal" life, but nothing seemed to fall in place.

Logan was a skilled soldier and natural hunter. He could execute an order without the

blink of an eye or a question to his superior about the nature of the mission.

Throughout his abnormally lengthy tenure in the United States military, he was told

repeatedly how great of a soldier he was.

He was strong, smart, obedient, and never ever questioned an order. He was also, quite literally, fearless. He wasn't afraid of pain. He wasn't afraid of death. The only true fear he had was of a cage and being locked up like the animal the world thought he was.

Thanks to the government's new Mutant Inclusion Act, he didnʼt have to hide who or

what he was from his military superiors. In fact, the US army seemed all too eager to

recruit young mutants with powers that would supply them with an obvious advantage in

war.

From teleporters to telepaths, the military was offering unprecedented incentives to get

citizens with "super powers" to join them.

After a century and a half of devoted service to the army, Logan received a new

promotion to the Military Science division. The pay increase was huge, so he didnʼt

mind the fact that he was going to end up working and taking orders from a bunch of

nerds in white coats.

As usual, he didnʼt ask questions.

He reported to the large, pristine building and was shown into an expansive lab, where

he met his new "boss", Dr. William Stryker.

"Colonel James Howlett, reporting for duty, sir" said Logan with a stiff salute.

Stryker smirked and saluted back, "Welcome, colonel."

Logan relaxed slightly, "Seems to be quite an operation you have goinʼ here."

Dr. Stryker nodded and looked around and began leading him through the large lab,

showing him room after room, "Tell me, Colonel…what do you believe the greatest

resource of the United States Army is?"

"Soldiers", answered Logan quickly.

Stryker smirked, "Iʼm impressed. Most other soldiers immediately say guns…tanks…

hummers…"

Logan sighed and looked around as they continued walking, "Those soldiers sound like

theyʼve never seen a day on the battlefield."

"And how many days on the battlefield have you seen?"

Logan avoided his gaze as he continued looking around, "More than you wanna know."

"Which wars have you fought in?"

He cleared his throat, "Every one since the Civil War…"

"Iʼm sorry?"

Logan looked around and lowered his voice, "Iʼm a mutant. Iʼve been in the army for

over a hundred years. Is that gonna be a problem for you?"

Stryker smiled, almost euphorically, "No. Not at all. Actually, having a man of

you...talents so close to my operation can prove to be beneficial for the both of us."

He didnʼt quite know what he meant by that, so he moved on quickly, "So. Seems like

youʼre running a pretty tight ship here. You need me to form a team to help secure the

facility and offer a security detail?"

"Yes. I will need a security detail…among other things." Stryker sighed, "I hear youʼre a

good soldier…youʼre not one to question orders, are you?"

"No sir", answered Logan as he tightened his jaw.

"Good. Just know that I need you to form a team of dependable, strong soldiers who will

do as theyʼre told."

Logan nodded, "You give me the date and the team will be ready."

One week later, Logan had brought his brother, Victor, as well as a few other soldiers

heʼd worked with on special assignments. Despite Victorʼs unpredictable temper and

penchant for violence, he was someone he knew he could trust. The same could be

said about all of the men heʼd picked to form Strykerʼs special team.

They met with Stryker, where they received a briefing concerning their initial and main

duties...then came the shady stuff.

Stryker began handing out folders. Inside each folder contained profiles of female

mutants. All of them were young…between the ages of 17 and 22 years old. Aside from

their age, height, weight and a picture of them, their powers were also listed.

There was a teleporter, a phaser, a girl who could create fireworks, and another girl who

had wings.

Stryker called them his "initial crop".

They were to be collected, but unharmed when they were brought to the facility where

they would be held.

Logan and his team were told that the capture and holding of these young women was

"vital to the security of the United States".

Logan didnʼt feel comfortable with it, but he was a soldier. A good soldier didnʼt ask

questions. A good soldier didnʼt disobey orders. He coordinated surveillance and the

"collection", but never participated in the actual kidnappings himself.

For two months, Logan and his team watched the young women, learned their patters,

and then, when the time was right, they grabbed them. They often used chloroform or

stun darts to knock them unconscious for their capture.

When the entire "crop" was gathered, Logan was halfway tempted to ask why the hell

Stryker was holding a bunch of mutant women captive, but again…good soldiers didnʼt

ask questions.

He didnʼt bother to give the happenings inside of the lab a second thought until Stryker

called him into his office, "Logan. I have a special assignment that requires your…

special abilities."

"Ok."

Stryker handed him a red folder marked ʻPRIMARY TARGETʼ in bold across the top. He

slowly opened it and began reading the subjectʼs profile.

Female.

5ʼ5".

115lbs.

Brown eyes.

Brown hair with a white streak.

His eyes skimmed down the piece of paper until he reached the area that described the

subjectʼs powers. He furrowed his brows and read aloud, "Subject has the ability to

absorb and retain the power of any mutant she touches….wow."

"Indeed. She has unparalleled capabilities…but her mutation is dangerous. She learned

to control it some time ago, but if she touches anyone while her powers are activated for

too long, she could kill them."

He pulled the picture out from behind the piece of paper and had to actually concentrate

to keep his facial expression from changing drastically when he took in the sight of the beautiful girl in the picture. No…no, she wasnʼt a girl. She was a woman. She was a

young one, but she was still a woman…

The soft curve of her full, perky breasts, full, pouting lips and deep, penetrating eyes

confirmed that.

He looked at the bottom of the picture and read her name, "Marie DʼAncanto. Meridian,

Mississippi."

"Thatʼs where sheʼs from. Not where she is. Sheʼs a runaway…so she wonʼt be missed."

Logan couldnʼt keep his head from snapping up at that statement. What did he mean

"she wouldnʼt be missed"? What was he gonna do to her? What had she done to

deserve to be the "Primary Target" of a super-secret Military Science division?

He had to fight hard to stamp down his concern for the girl and his temptation to start

asking a barrage of questions.

"Alright. Any leads on where she is now?"

Stryker nodded, "Best lead says sheʼs working at a diner in Baltimore. Make sure sheʼs

unharmed.

Logan nodded affirmatively before taking the file and leaving.

Twenty-four hours later, he was sitting inside of a black sedan across the street from the

Fork and Spoon 24-hour diner. He watched the people through the front windows of the

diner, but saw no one that matched the picture heʼd seen the day before…until about

midnight.

A young woman rushed in from the back of the diner with her hair disheveled and a

large jacket on. From his vantage point, he could read her lips and clearly see that she

was apologizing to her fellow waitress profusely for her tardiness. He waited for the

other waitress to leave…then for the last customer to finish his coffee before he got out

of the car and made his way into the diner.

He sat down at the counter as Marie eyed him, "Want some coffee, sugah?"

Logan nodded, "Yeah."

She sat a clean mug in front of him and poured him a cup of piping hot coffee, "Can I

get ya anything else?"

He shrugged a little bit, "Whatʼs good?"

"Uh, I donʼt suppose you like apple pie?"

Logan nodded, "I guess. Yeah. Iʼll try some."

When Marie bit her lip in deep though, Logan almost trembled in desire. She set the

coffee pot down and pointed toward the kitchen, "Iʼll see if we got some in the freezer I

can pop in the oven for ya real quick. You donʼt want the old stuff thatʼs been sittinʼ out

all day. Hold tight, k darlinʼ?"

Logan nodded dumbly. Her thick, luscious southern accent swirled around him as she

walked through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen, then returned a couple of

moments later, wiping her hands on a dish towel, "Pieʼs in the oven. Be ready in about

ten minutes…that OK?"

"Uh, yeah", he said, relieved that he could actually speak now instead of nodding like a

stupid schoolboy.

Marie smiled as she wiped down the counter and began refilling the salt and pepper

shakers, "Where ya from?"

"Originally…Canada. Now…D.C."

"Oh", she said with a nod before glancing at the tags around his neck, "You military?"

Logan followed her eyes to his dog tags before quickly stuffing them inside of his tank

top, "Yeah. Army."

Marie let out a little ʻhmphʼ before returning to her tasks. A heavy silence settled over

them as he took a sip of his coffee and glanced back at her, "You been workinʼ here

long?"

Her eyebrows briefly quirked in confusion before she slowly turned her eyes to his,

"Long enough."

Logan knew he had to play this cool. He didnʼt want to raise any alarms, and he was

slowly realizing that this girl wasnʼt stupid. Too many questions about her work and life

would likely freak her out, so he had to act like a normal guy…as opposed to a mutant

who was working for a super-secret government sect that was there to kidnap her for

god-knows-what reason.

Several minutes later, Marie set a hot piece of apple pie in front of him. She smirked

and raised a brow, "I know what youʼd like on top of that apple pie…"

_"You, naked", he thought quickly before actually speaking,_ "Oh?"

Marie nodded and disappeared back into the kitchen before returning with a carton of

vanilla ice cream, "Nothinʼs better on hot apple pie than ice cream."

Logan couldnʼt help but stare at her breasts as she leaned over to dig a scoop of ice

cream out of the carton. That tiny line of cleavage was enough to make him want to

start drooling.

When she finished topping his pie with ice cream, he tasted it and nodded, "Definitely

good."

Marie smiled, obviously pleased with herself, "Glad youʼre enjoyinʼ it."

He smirked as he took another bite, "You donʼt sound like youʼre from here."

"I donʼt?" she said, playfully mocking him with her tone. Marie giggled a little and refilled

his coffee, "Iʼm from the Mississippi Delta…"

"What made you move here?"

Marie slowly set the coffee pot down and rubbed her hands down the front of her apron,

"Uh…just a desire to see the world, I guess."

Logan could tell that she was clamming up because of painful memories involving her

runaway, so he quickly changed the subject, "You know tonight was the first time I ever

had apple pie a la mode?"

She raised both eyebrows in surprise, "Seriously? What kinda sheltered life have you

been livinʼ?"

He almost snorted at that, "Itʼs not so much that Iʼve never had the chance…itʼs just

that…Iʼm not much of a sweets guy."

"Oh? Well...I hope Iʼve turned ya on to sweets for good", she said with a wink.

If he didnʼt know any better, he would have thought she was flirting….wait….he didnʼt

know any better. She probably WAS flirting.

Logan laughed a little and turned away, "Uh…yeah. Maybe." He smiled and set a fifty

dollar bill on the counter, "Thanks for the pie."

She glanced at the bill and suddenly called his name just before he got to the door,

"Whatʼs your name?"

"My friends call me Logan."

Marie smiled, "Donʼt be a stranger, Logan."

He left without another word.

When she thought he was out of sight, she picked up a stack of napkins and fanned

herself with them. That was one very very sexy man.

Marie mentally kicked herself for not getting his phone number...or at least enticing him

to have a quickie in the back of the diner. As she finished her shift at the diner, she

hoped and prayed that she would see her handsome customer again...soon.

* * *

**I'm about to post several back-to-back chapters, but I ask you to be kind enough to take the time to review each of them! Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Logan reported to Stryker, who was more than a little put off that he

didnʼt just snatch her the way his team did.

"Did I make it clear that time was of the essence? I need that girl!"

Logan sighed, "You will have her. You asked me to do a job, Iʼm doing it...I just need

time to do it right."

He was losing his nerve, but he couldnʼt admit that to anyone…including himself. He

was determined to prove to everyone, and himself, that a pretty face, bright smile and

amazing body couldnʼt steal his ability to serve his country and follow orders.

The next night, he returned to the diner, determined to get the job done.

Marie smiled brightly when she saw him, "My favorite customer! Eveninʼ, Logan. Didnʼt

think Iʼd see ya back so soon."

Loganʼs heart skipped a beat when she said his name, "Hey…"

"Coffee?" she said as she raised the pot.

"Yeah, please."

Marie set a clean mug out for him and poured the coffee before sighing and leaning

against the counter, being sure to squeeze her breasts together, "My feet are killinʼ me. I

pulled a double today."

Loganʼs mouth dropped open as he got an eyeful of her breasts, "Sorry to hear that." He

was, somehow, able to keep himself from drooling as he sat back and took a sip of

coffee, "Do that often?"

She nodded, "Every now and then, when I need the extra cash. Not all of my customers

tip as well as you."

"So thatʼs the reason why youʼre beinʼ so nice to me tonight?" he said as he raised an

eyebrow. He honestly couldnʼt help himself when it came to her. He felt more

comfortable talking to her than he ever had with anyone else...and damned if she wasnʼt

the sexiest woman heʼd ever laid eyes on.

Marie laughed, "Well, maybe thatʼs part of the reason…but itʼs nice to have you around."

Logan sat down on the stool, "Thatʼs definitely the first time someoneʼs ever said that

about me."

"Well, youʼre a good listener. I can tell youʼre a silent, brooding type...and youʼre a big,

strong guy. Helps keep the weirdos away."

"Brooding? You think I brood?"

Marie hunched her small shoulders and scowled a little in an attempt to mock him,

which prompted him to laugh in earnest.

She laughed with him for a few moments, but when he remembered that tonight would

be the last night in which she would look at him the way she was right now, his laughter

faded and his smile fell.

"You OK?" she asked, noticing the change in his demeanor.

Logan cleared his throat and took a sip of his coffee, "Sorry just...uh...rough time at

work."

"Wanna talk about it?"

He looked at her, "Nah. Itʼs boring. No need to bother you with boring details."

Marie smiled and gently nudged his arm, "Ah come on. All Iʼm gonna do is refill the

creamer and sugar containers. I doubt your work day is gonna bore me."

Logan smiled, "Iʼm fine, really...but thanks."

She shrugged a little, "Suit yourself."

He stayed for a full hour, and alternated between silently sipping coffee and talking to

her about everything from the weather to her future career ambitions.

"Did you ever wanna go to school?"

"I did have this dream that I would go to college one day...maybe become a pediatric

nurse..."

"Pediatric? You uh...you like kids?"

Marie nodded eagerly, "Love kids."

"Do you have any?" he asked as she refilled his coffee.

She laughed, "How old do ya think I am? No way!"

"Sorry."

"Itʼs OK...but I donʼt have any...yet. But I canʼt wait to become a mother."

Logan stopped in mid-sip as he watched her go on and on about her excitement of one

day having her own kids. She noticed how he was looking at her and quickly shut up,

realizing that talking about babies and motherhood was a sure-fire way to drive away a

man she hoped to bed.

"Sorry. Iʼm sure Iʼm borinʼ you."

He shook his head, "No...no, not at all. Just...realized how late it was getting. I should

go."

Marieʼs face fell in disappointment, "Oh. Well...thanks for hanginʼ out."

"It was my pleasure", he said as he placed a fifty on the table.

She watched as he started to get up and walk toward the door, but she rushed after him

and called his name, "Logan!"

He stopped and turned around to look down into her eyes, "Yeah?"

Marie slowly stepped up to him and ran a hand to the back of his head and pulled his

head down so that she could lean up and lay a hungry kiss on his lips. Logan moaned

into her mouth as he wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her body to his.

Logan slowly released her and shook his head, "Marie...I canʼt..."

She nodded and leaned back down, "Iʼm sorry."

"Donʼt be sorry. I just...I should go."

He left without another word, leaving Marie to kick herself for being too forward.

She had no other customers that night, so she waited for the next waitress to show up

at 4am, then began walking home.

Marie had never been a paranoid girl. Years on her own had made her hyper aware of

her surroundings, so she could immediately sense if she was being followed or in

danger. Tonight, she was having that feeling.

She power walked the three blocks to her building, entered her apartment, and promptly

shut the door behind her before locking it. Now inside of her apartment, she slowly

allowed herself to unwind. She quickly undressed, then climbed into the shower, where

she luxuriated underneath the hot spray.

By the time she climbed into her bed, she was fully relaxed and at peace. All thoughts of

paranoia were gone as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, continuously

recounting her heated kiss with Logan. She tried to figure out what sheʼd done wrong,

but ended up falling into a restless sleep.

Sometime later, she shifted in her sleep and turned over. In her half-awake state and

through her nearly closed eyes, she could have sworn she saw Logan standing directly

above her. She started to wake up completely, but a cloth covered her face and

rendered her unconscious before she could make another noise.

Logan felt sick with guilt when he arrived back at the facility, carrying an unconscious

Marie in through the loading dock like she was some sort of delivery.

Stryker was there, rubbing his hands together and grinning like a Cheshire cat as his

workers took her away from Logan and placed her on a gurney so that they could wheel

her away.

Suddenly and without thought, Logan defied his own good judgment and principles by

blurting out a question, "Where are you taking her?"

The lab workers who were about to wheel away Marieʼs gurney suddenly stopped to

look back at him. Stryker quickly waved him off as Logan continued staring after her as

they wheeled her out of his line of sight, "I thought you were a soldier who didnʼt ask

questions?"

Logan stuttered slowly, "I donʼt…I just figured that…I canʼt protect this place if I donʼt

know what Iʼm protecting."

Stryker regarded him carefully, "Youʼre right. Actually, I have a lot to discuss with you

now that youʼve brought us this interesting creature...I need to process and test her

before she wakes up. I will meet with you tomorrow."

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**Review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Logan arrived at the facility bright and early. Everyone there knew his

face, so he was easily able to make his way to the wing where the "crop" was being

held. He made his way to the security room, where monitors showed inside views of

every one of their cells. His eyes scanned the bank of monitors until they came upon

Marie, who was pacing the small cell with her arms tightly crossed across her chest.

A pang of guilt threatened to sicken him as he watched her worried fidgets and fearful

demeanor. Heʼd done this to her…after earning her trust, making her feel comfortable

and actually getting to know her…he deceived her.

Logan made his way to Strykerʼs office and knocked. When he was beckoned in, he

entered and quickly sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Stryker seemed very chipper, and Logan knew it was because the primary target had

been acquired.

"Logan, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I have a very...interesting

assignment for you."

"Oh?"

Stryker nodded, "Itʼs one you can refuse if you like, but I encourage you to take some

time to consider it."

"OK..." he said slowly and confusedly.

"Youʼre here because I need you to protect the future of the United States Military. Weʼre

in a very exciting time, and we have the unprecedented opportunity to change the way

our military works and how wars are fought and won. I know that you are questioning

what weʼre doing detaining young mutants women, and the truth of the matter is, weʼve

recruited these young people to be the first mothers of a new breed of army. Thanks to

their mutations, weʼll be able to breed an entirely new brand of soldier that doesnʼt even

need weapons. Thanks to a new mutant army, we can cut defense spending and create

soldiers with unprecedented skills and abilities."

Logan stared at him in shock for a few moments before he was able to recover enough

to speak, "You donʼt think peopleʼll start noticing that mutant kids are disappearing all

over the country?"

"The young women that weʼve picked are runaways…loners. No one will miss them,

and, to be honest, weʼre keeping them quite comfortable and will continue to do so. Your

job...and your teamʼs job, is to ensure that they are kept here...safely." Stryker stayed

quiet for a few moments before he spoke up again, "You may have also noticed that all

of our…guests…are female."

"Yeah. I did."

Stryker smiled, "Well, once you brought on your team, I realized that there might not be

a need to capture male mutants. Members of your team can be matched with

our...guests..."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, it would be a volunteer basis, of course."

Logan sat forward, "Um. Are you saying that you want some of my men to knock up

these mutant chicks so that you can have specially bred mutant babies for an army?"

Stryker nodded, "For lack of better words...yes."

"...and you want me to participate in this... ʻprogramʼ too?"

He nodded, "Actually, the other girls wonʼt be bred for some time. I have other tests I

need to run on them first...but I was hoping that you might partner with the primary

target. I would like to breed her as soon as possible and a match with you would be

ideal."

Logan blinked and started to say her name, but he stopped himself. She was just

supposed to be a target to him...not Marie...she was nothing more than a target.

"I...uh...I uhhh-"

"You donʼt have to answer just yet. And I wonʼt take it as a reflection of your capabilities

as a soldier if you refuse. My second choice is actually Victor for her."

Logan stuttered, "Victor?"

"Yes. Her mutation is very deadly, but you and your brother are healers. A soldier with

your combined powers would be...well, it would be indestructible. I also believe that, if

she were to use her powers at any point during her...breeding...you two would have the

ability to recover thanks to your regenerative capabilities."

"I would really...um...need time to think about this."

"Very well."

Logan stood and made his way toward the door, but stopped before he opened it, "Have

you approached Victor about his participation?"

"No. Not yet. Like I said, youʼre my first choice." Stryker looked down and sighed before

lifting his head to meet Loganʼs eyes again, "I hope I donʼt offend you when I say that

Iʼm well aware of your brotherʼs temperament. Iʼm not confident that she would be

unharmed after an encounter with him. Our goal is to breed her...not terrorize her."

"What if the um…breedings aren't successful?"

Stryker shrugged a little, "The subjects who don't fall pregnant will be used for experiments."

Logan gave a slow nod before clearing his throat and leaving the room.

That day, he went through the motions, unable to fully concentrate on any one task

thanks to his preoccupation with Marie.

He was fully aware of Victorʼs "issues" and wouldn't trust him to come within a mile of

Marie. Deep down, Logan knew that being with him wouldn't be a picnic for her, but at least she wouldn't be "attacked" in a more violent sense. Victor's conquests, willing or not, would often end up in need of medical care after an encounter with him.

Victorʼs feral side was a lot wilder than Logan's. He'd never learned to control his

animal because he never WANTED to control his animal. He enjoyed turning feral. He

relished the wild anger.

Logan, surprisingly enough, already felt guilty enough that he had brought her into this situation...he didn't know if he could live with the knowledge that he'd actually unleashed Victor on her.

Maybe he could help her escape?

After a few moments of mulling that idea over, he quickly eliminated it. The place was

being monitored and guarded by a team HE hand-picked. The very team he had run

countless missions with. If he decided to defect, that team would be on them like white

on rice and the life he knew would be gone. Was this girl really worth all that trouble?

For days, he was conflicted. He went through the motions of his job, showing up to work

on time, barking orders and making rounds. He'd often make his way to the security

room to stare at Marie as she sat on her bed with her legs huddled into her body.

He could tell that Stryker was keeping these girls in the dark. They were brought full

meals three times a day and a snack in the afternoon. They were also given books and

televisions were installed in their rooms.

Through hallway chatter, Logan learned that Stryker was tracking their cycles and

subjecting them to a daily round of hormonal and vitamin injections, but they were still

not being told what they were there for. Logan knew that keeping the girls in the dark

was a very effective way to control them. If they were unaware of what would happen to

them, where they were, and why they were where they were, they would remain fearful,

easy-to-control and confused.

Logan couldnʼt believe the twisted world heʼd allowed himself to get sucked into. More

than that, he couldnʼt believe that the government actually backed this shit. It was

probably technically "legal" thanks to some sick loophole that allowed it because

mutants technically werenʼt "humans", so their treatment wasnʼt a violation of "human

rights". There was nothing in the Mutant Inclusion Act that claimed that mutants couldnʼt

be held by the government. It only covered mutant treatment in the workplace, schools

and in the courts.

Logan was at work late one night, sitting in the security room, watching Marie in her cell

as she slept.

Logan watched as she suddenly broke out of a deep sleep and began thrashing and

screaming, kicking and getting tangled within the sheet that covered her.

Without thinking, he bolted out of the room to her cell. He used his electronic key badge

to let himself into her cell, where she had finally regained full consciousness and was

sitting on her bed, panting.

When her eyes turned to meet his, she stuttered, "L-Logan...what are you doinʼ here?!"

"I think you should know...Iʼm the one who brought you here. Iʼm a soldier...and this is a

government program that youʼve been enrolled in..."

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes in disgust, "...you made me trust you..."

He held up both hands, "Marie…I never—"

"What are they gonna do to me? Nobodyʼs tellinʼ me anything. They just come in every

day and gimme shots. For all I know, theyʼre injectinʼ me with poison!"

"Theyʼre not."

"Oh yeah? Then what is it?"

Logan lowered his head, "Vitamins. And hormones."

"Hormones!? Hormones for what? A sex change?!"

He forced himself to look up into her face. She was hysterical…and she had every right

to be. She had been kidnapped and taken to a strange place where she was held

prisoner for no reason. The least he could do was tell her the truth.

"Hormones for…for the pregnancy."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "I'm not pregnant."

He sighed and closed his eyes, "You will be."

She almost laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, "Was that a threat?!"

"No. It was a warning. I know youʼre angry and confused, but you need to listen to me.

You've been recruited to help build a specialized army of mutants. Youʼre especially

important, cause Stryker tells me you can take on any power you come across…so heʼs

gonna try to breed you first."

"Breed?!" she squeaked as she backed away and wrapped her arms around herself in

an effort to calm her tattered nerves. Marie shook her head, "This canʼt be happening.

This can't be true."

He sighed, "Marie...I had no idea-"

"I donʼt care. Iʼm here now because you brought me here", she said as she stared at

him with tear rimmed eyes.

Logan looked down in shame and sighed, "I guess now would be the wrong time to tell

you that...Iʼm probably gonna be the one who-"

"Who what?!"

He looked up at her, "I think you know."

"Wow. Wow. And you expect me to believe that you had no idea what they were doing?" She shook her head and looked at him in disgust, "Get out."

"Marie, look-"

"Get out!" she screamed.

"I will, but you need to know that if itʼs not me...itʼll be someone else...someone else who

doesnʼt know you...and doesnʼt give a damn about you. Theyʼll hurt you...scare

you...scar you..."

She laughed through the tears, "More threats. Wow. Youʼre really an expert at this,

arenʼt ya?"

Logan sighed, "Iʼm not tryinʼ to threaten you. Iʼm just tryinʼ to warn you here. I donʼt want

this situation. I donʼt want any of it!"

"Then why are you here?!"

"Because Iʼm a soldier, dammit!" he yelled. Marie jumped slightly and fell silent as he

angrily ran a hand through his hair and calmed himself, "Iʼm sorry...I just...Iʼm used to

not askinʼ questions...and this time was no different. Good soldiers donʼt question. They

obey orders theyʼre given. Iʼm here cause I was servinʼ my country."

"Well, youʼre a great soldier, Logan...but youʼre a pretty shitty person."

He couldnʼt argue with her there, but heʼd never thought of himself as a "good" person.

That ship had sailed a long time ago, and sadly, he was OK with that.

Logan sighed, "Iʼm gonna be the one they partner you with...cause I know you donʼt

want the alternative."

* * *

**Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

Logan entered Strykerʼs office, "Iʼll do it."

"Wonderful", he said quickly. "Iʼd like to take a few samples before you get to work, if

thatʼs alright."

"Yeah. I guess."

An hour later, Logan was dismayed to find that one of the "samples" Stryker wanted was

semen. He sat in the little room, unable to make anything happen for several minutes.

Despite the magazine heʼd been supplied and the many encounters he had stored in his

memory bank, he couldnʼt get it up.

Finally, he allowed himself to imagine Marie, naked, laying beneath him with her legs

wrapped around his waist as he thrust into her quivering mound...

He barely had time to aim his erection into the cup before he started cumming.

The next day, Stryker told him that everything "checked out", and that they would have

their first session tonight.

He immediately felt nervous.

Meanwhile, Marie knew that something was up when they provided her with shaving

cream and a razor for her daily bath. Of course, it came with a warning in the form of a

crackling stun gun, which her guard ominously pointed at her when she initially picked

up the razor.

An hour after her shower, Stryker led Logan to her cell door and stopped him, "You'll remember that she has the power to kill with her touch, so if you can find a way around that, it would be most helpful." Stryker handed him a full, capped syringe, "This is a suppression serum. I'd prefer this be a last resort since it would be better if the conception took place without her mutation being compromised. I want to be sure the fetus is viable, despite her capabilities."

Logan took the syringe and nodded, "Fine. I wanna let you know, I'm not gonna be watched like a lab rat. I'm wearin' a scrambler, and I'm gonna activate it once I get in there."

"But—but, how will we know—"

"You'll know when she turns up pregnant."

Without another word, Logan entered her cell and closed the door behind him.

Marie sat in the corner of the bed, watching him with wary eyes. He sat down across from her and placed the syringe on the table. Her eyes quickly went to the needle, "What's that?"

"A serum that'll render you powerless…if need be."

She shook her head in hatred and looked away, "I can't believe you…"

"Believe me or not, but I'm the lesser of two evils, darlin'."

"Don't call me that."

Logan sighed, "Look. This is the situation you're stuck in, kid. If I'm not the one you want to do the deed, fine…but the other guy ain't much of a picnic. I leave you to him, you might not survive."

She stood up, defiant, "It'd be better than having to fuck you!"

"HAVING to fuck me? Come on, darlin'…gimme a break."

Marie glared, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Logan shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned forward, "I could practically smell how much you wanted me in that diner."

*WHAP*

The sound of Marie's palm connecting with his cheek echoed through the small room. The only respond he gave was a tightening of his jaw, so Marie, in her anger, swung to slap him again.

Utilizing his quick reflexes, he caught her wrist. She immediately tried to hit him with her other hand, but he grabbed that hand as well, prompting her to begin a futile struggle against his unrelenting grip.

Logan gave her one good shake, "Cut it out! You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"Like you give a shit!"

"Despite what you think, I'm not a monster, Marie."

She glared and continued struggling, "Oh yeah?! Coulda fooled the hell outta me!"

Logan gave her another shake, "Marie, just stop it! You'd really rather die?"

"Yeah! And I'll take you with me!" she practically screamed as she tried to twist her wrist in an effort to get a bare hand on him. Luckily for Logan, his grip on her wrists was protected by the long sleeves of her night shirt.

He easily manipulated his grip to keep her from touching him by yanking her arms down and pinning her wrists behind her back, forcing her body to press flush against his. Their faces were mere centimeters apart as she continued to try to struggle away from him.

"Marie! I'm tryin' to help you!"

"Help me?! Fuck you!" she said as she spit in his face.

When he recovered from the force of her spit hitting his face, he gave her a look that stilled her struggles. That was the first time that Marie realized that she was dealing with a man who was a force to be reckoned with. Through all her struggles, she'd done nothing but succeed in bruising her own wrists. She'd fought with all of her might, and he hadn't even broken a sweat…he could rape her if he wanted to right now. Hell…he could probably snap her in half without having to use both hands.

Logan let out a breath in an attempt to calm himself as he stared into her eyes, "I know your powers are on…but I'm gonna count to three…and, if by the time I get to three, your powers are still activated, I'll leave you alone. If not…"

He didn't have to finish that sentence. They both knew exactly what would happen "if not".

Marie was panting from the exertion of her struggles as Logan slowly leaned in and whispered, "One…"

He stared into her eyes as he slowly leaned further in, "Two…"

She pursed her lips together as he leaned in so close that his lips were practically brushing hers, "Three…"

Her knees weakened as their lips connected. Despite her disdain for him and her fear concerning her situation, her body cried out in desire for him, and now, he was answering the call. Logan's lips moved against hers timidly at first, but when he realized that her powers weren't on, he practically began attacking her mouth with his.

Marie bit down on his bottom lip, which made him cry out and snatch away as she took advantage of his preoccupation to scramble away and move toward the opposite side of the room. Logan wiped the blood off of his lip and slowly stalked toward her as she began nervously backing further away.

He suddenly charged her and grabbed her, forcing her to the bed as she struggled against him. Somehow, he was able to force his hips between her legs and grind himself against her one good time. Marie's body involuntarily stilled as she felt him press against her core, creating a delicious friction that sparked a need within her.

A moan escaped her lips before she could stop herself, which caused Logan to take advantage of her stillness to kiss her neck. Marie whimpered and shook her head, but he continued kissing her neck and rubbing against her.

Before she knew it, her hands were free and he was violently gripping her body to his as he dry humped her against the bed. Logan kissed her hungrily as his hands quickly and greedily began groping at her breasts.

Her pushes against his chest slowly began to weaken, and her protests were growing fewer and further between as soft pants and moans began to interrupt her chants of "no" and "stop".

Marie's moans and soft pants spurred him on as he began ripping her clothes off from between them. He made sure not to lift his weight off of her too much so that she didn't have the chance to start fighting again, but it wouldn't matter anyways. Marie was so delirious with desire, she had almost completely forgotten where she was.

Logan began yanking down his pants as he reached under her night shirt and grabbed the waistband of her panties. With one strong pull, he successfully ripped her underwear off. Marie jumped and gasped against his mouth before he slowly began nipping at her bottom lip and opened his pants to free his erection.

He guided himself forward and lined himself up to her slick opening before suddenly thrusting himself inside. Marie arched as her hands flew out to grip something…anything.

The sensation of pain and pleasure collided, leaving her speechless and breathless. Logan stilled himself briefly before kissing his neck and slowly moving in and out of her body. Marie closed her eyes and turned her head to the side as she fought to maintain control of her body.

She could not enjoy this…she WOULD NOT enjoy this. No matter what, she couldn't allow her body to override the fact that her brain didn't want this.

As Logan laid another surprisingly tender kiss to her neck, a throaty moan escaped her lips, which prompted him to pick up his pace and kiss her neck again. Marie began panting harder and shaking her head.

"No…no…no…no", she whimpered, more to herself than to him as her body began creeping closer and closer to orgasm on its own accord.

Logan reached down and gripped her thigh as he lifted it up, angling her body so that he could penetrate deeper, which immediately threw her into the throes of a powerful orgasm.

She arched and bit her lip to keep from crying out as she climaxed hard. Logan shuddered against her as her walls gripped him tight, massaging him to his own, delicious orgasm.

Marie's body slowly relaxed underneath him as she turned her head to the side and covered her face. She couldn't believe her body had betrayed her…

Logan started to lean down and kiss her neck again, but she jerked, "Please…get off of me."

He stared at her for a while, then slowly moved out and from atop her.

Marie managed to wait until he had straightened up his clothes and left her cell before she curled up on the bed and wept softly.

The next night, Logan entered her cell.

The bruises she still bore from the night before reminded her that fighting his was futile, so she simply watched as he slowly unbuttoned his pants and began walking toward her. She also knew that a big part of her didn't WANT to fight him…since she grew wet at the sight of his bare chest when he yanked his shirt off.

Marie knew that she could use her powers on him, but even if she did, what would happen? Would guards rush in and knock her unconscious? Would he kill her?

She was in the middle of a highly secure facility…there's no way in hell she would escape.

When Logan approached her and pulled her body against his, she looked up into his eyes. He started to lean down to kiss her lips, but she turned her face away. He let out a quick sigh, then opted to lay kisses across her neck.

Logan felt her body relax ever-so-slightly beneath his touch, but he knew that he wouldn't get very far when it came to her participation, so he gave up and turned her around to push her against the bed until she was bent over on all fours.

She stayed still as he pushed up her nightshirt and slowly pulled down her panties. Marie struggled to remain motionless as he gently ran a hand over her slit, which he was surprised to find was rapidly moistening beneath his touch.

Logan licked his lips and let out a sharp breath as he dipped a finger into her tight folds and rested his other hand on her perfectly found ass.

Within moments, he'd thrust himself inside of her wet pussy and began eagerly driving in and out of her body. Marie gripped onto the bed as she struggled to keep from moaning as his movements forced her to jerk back and forth in time with his deep thrusts.

She managed to maintain control of her body until he reached between her legs and began playing with her clit. The gentle flick against the bundle of nerves forced a moan from her throat as she lowered her head slightly and bucked backwards against him.

Logan, who had been excited by her response to his attentions, began speeding up his pace and deepening his thrusts.

Marie couldn't help but whimper and pant as he forced her toward orgasm. He vigorously rubbed her clit for a few more minutes before she suddenly cried out and threw her head back, freezing as they both achieved a simultaneous, mind-blowing orgasm.

He rested his forehead against her back for a few moments before she shrugged him off of her and squirmed away, successfully disengaging from him.

Again, he stared at her for a few moments before dressing and leaving…and again, Marie curled into a ball and began crying on the bed.

Throughout the next ten days, Logan made Stryker-approved visits to Marie's cell.

They said very little to each other during the visits, but to Marie's shame, she achieved orgasm every single time.

Logan would start talking to her before and after visits. They weren't full-blown conversations by any means…but it was something. He'd make comments about random stuff…movies…the weather…favorite foods…anything that came to mind. Marie eventually stopped feeling the need to curl up in a ball and weep after his visits. She'd just lay there, quiet.

During one of the last visits, Logan had just finished fucking Marie against the door when he stood in the middle of her cell, putting his clothes back on.

She pulled her nightgown back on and sat on her bed, "What happens if it doesn't work?"

He was surprised she spoke to him. She had hardly said anything at all for a week.

Logan raised a brow and sighed, "They uhhhh….they'll give it a couple of months…but if you don't…well, they said that you'd be used for experiments."

Marie shuddered and crossed her arms against her chest. Logan took note of her worried demeanor, "I wouldn't worry too much about that. You're healthy. I'm healthy. It'll work."

Turns out, he was right.

* * *

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

After Marie's "fertile period" was over, Stryker put an end to Logan's cell visits cold-turkey. He was pissed. He craved her now…he NEEDED her. Every day, he watched her on the security monitor as she sat in her cell, reading, watching television or…weeks later…running to the attached bathroom so that she could vomit.

Just over a month after their first coupling, Stryker sent Logan to Marie's cell and ordered

him to escort her to an exam room where blood was drawn and a sample of urine was

collected. He stood against the wall in the room with his hands shoved into his pockets,

trying not to seem too interested in the events taking place around them. It came as a surprise to him that he was extremely curious about the results of her tests.

When the nurse quickly walked over to Stryker with the pregnancy test, the doctor

turned back to Logan and favored him with a brief smirk and a nod before continuing his

hushed conversation.

That was it.

She was pregnant.

An odd mix of dread and excitement settled in the pit of his stomach as Marieʼs frightened eyes met his.

She quickly looked down and crossed her arms over her belly before Stryker walked

over to Logan and clapped a hand on his back, "Well done, soldier."

He watched carefully as Stryker turned back to his lab techs and began ordering new rounds of

prenatal vitamins for Marie. Then, he asked Logan to return Marie to her cell.

He gingerly helped her off of the exam table and guiding her back to her cell. When

they got there, he went in with her and shut the door.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying not to sound alarmed.

Without a word, he pulled her into his arms for a sweet embrace that took them both by surprise.

She started to melt into his arms, but when she remembered their circumstances, she quickly moved away from him and put her hands on her hips, "You should go."

"Marie-"

"Go!" she snapped, refusing to turn to meet his eyes.

He reluctantly left her and returned to his duties. He was distracted, but he tried not to

let it affect his work.

He was over a hundred and fifty years old and had managed to keep from fathering a

child...until now. Heʼd never wanted to be a father, and truth be told, he was still pretty

sure he didnʼt want to be a dad...but his feelings for Marie had confused him beyond

measure...and in turn, heʼd somehow ended up having to cope with some level of

concern for the child she now carried. The child that also belonged to him...and who

would be snatched away from its mother at birth and handed over to a psychotic,

morally bankrupt doctor to torture into the "perfect" soldier.

A couple of weeks passed, and Marie, now confronted with the reality of her pregnancy,

wanted little to do with anyone, especially him.

With her pregnancy came daily monitoring, tests, and a new, very hearty diet. She

was also given the privilege of walks in the courtyard, which Logan took it

upon herself to escort her on. He heard rumblings about the possibility of a move, but Stryker didn't confirm anything.

She was extremely quiet for several weeks, barely uttering more than four words in a

five week span.

Logan was watching her in the courtyard as she read a book on the bench, enjoying the

warmth of the sun. The peaceful moment was disturbed when Strykerʼs second-in-command,

Dr. Rick Henry, arrived, "She has an examination in five minutes."

"She just had one last week."

Rick nodded, "Yes. And she'll have another today. We want to make sure the fetus is viable."

"And how do you determine that?"

"We're going to try to listen to the heartbeat. She's two months along now. We should

be able to hear it via doppler."

Logan nodded, "I'll bring 'er."

When Rick left, he walked over to Marie, who immediately closed her book and looked

up, "Time to go in?"

"You gotta go in for another examination."

Marie closed her eyes and sighed before standing and following him into the building.

Logan slowed his gait and spoke quietly, "How are you feelinʼ?"

She looked up at him and contemplated not answering, but, at this point, she knew she had nothing to lose. She decided to be honest with him and utter, "Terrified."

That answer stopped Logan in his tracks as he stared at her, "Iʼm sorry-"

She narrowed her eyes, "Are you?"

He stared down into her eyes for several moments before nodding, "Yeah. I am…I actually am."

Logan led her to the exam room, where she was helped onto the exam table. Stryker

walked over with a small instrument and lifted up her shirt, then asked her to pull her

pants down a little. She did as she was asked, which gave him the opportunity to place

the dopplerʼs wand against her lower abdomen.

The room was quiet, save for the hollow, amplified sounds coming from the doppler.

No one was hearing a heartbeat, which, at this point, would mean that the pregnancy

was not viable. Stryker moved the wand all over her belly, pausing and leaning forward

in an attempt to concentrate on trying to hear any possible sound he could, but the

sound of Marieʼs organs and her own heartbeat was making trying to detect a tiny

heartbeat nearly impossible.

Logan narrowed his eyes and leaned forward when Stryker moved the wand lower, then

started to give up and move away, "Wait."

Stryker looked at him in surprise, "What is it?"

His eyes connected with Marieʼs as he stepped forward, "I heard something..."

"Just now? When the doppler was here?" Stryker asked, placing the wand back in the

area on her belly.

Logan nodded and leaned forward, using his enhanced hearing to filter out the sounds

of Marieʼs heart, her organs and her blood flowing. He closed his eyes and leaned in a

little more, "To the right...move to the right." Stryker followed his instructions as Logan

held up a hand, "Now down." Again, his instructions were followed, "There. There it

is...turn it up..."

Stryker turned the doppler up and suddenly, everyone in the room was confronted with

the sound of an extremely fast, fluid heartbeat. Logan straightened and looked at Marie,

who quickly averted her gaze.

Rick laughed in and clapped his hands together in triumph, "Wonderful! 160 beats per

minute! Perfectly normal!"

A few minutes later, Marie was led back to her room. Logan was saddened and

surprised when she didnʼt wait for him to leave before she collapsed in her bed in a fit of

tears.

After a few moments of internal debate, he stepped inside, turned the scrambler on and

locked the door behind him. He sat down on her bed and hugged her close until she

calmed herself. Before he could say anything, the door opened, causing them to

practically jump apart.

Stryker stepped in and favored him with a stern look, "Logan...may I have a word?"

He nodded and followed Stryker to his office, where he plopped down in a chair, "What

is it?"

"Iʼd appreciate it if you limited your interactions with her. The deed is done. Thereʼs no need for ʻalone timeʼ."

Logan stiffened, "With all due respect, sir...youʼve forced us into a very...odd situation.

You canʼt get upset when we donʼt handle it like just another prisoner-guard relationship.

Sheʼs having my kid for Christʼs sake."

"No sheʼs not. Sheʼs incubating the leader of my army. Nothing more. That is not a baby.

Itʼs an engineered soldier."

Logan tensed and narrowed his eyes, "She has no human interaction outside of those

dudes in white coats who poke and prod her all night. No matter how much you try to

neatly package it up, sheʼs pregnant and sheʼs scared...she needs someone to talk to if

sheʼs gonna get through this with her sanity in tact."

"Her sanity?"

"Prisoners who are isolated suffer from mental breakdowns and come with higher

suicide rates. She needs someone to interact with."

Stryker sighed, "You think I planned on keeping these women in isolation during the

duration of their stay? Iʼm not ignorant of the emotional strain isolation can cause. A new

facility is being completed that will allow the women to live amongst each other as

roommates. The surroundings will be more...accommodating."

"And when were you going to tell me that my men and I would be moving?"

He sighed, "Due to your...connection with our primary subject, I was having my doubts

about continuing to allow you to act as our chief security officer, Colonel."

"I signed up for this job. Iʼm determined to see it through."

Stryker cocked his head to the side and scrutinized Loganʼs facial expression, "Alright,

Colonel. The facility should be completed next month. Itʼs located in the Catskills and in

a fairly isolated area. The facility will come complete with a medical wing, living quarters

for my team, as well as yours, and living quarters for the young women."

"Fine. If you can supply me with blueprints, I can share them with my team and figure

out how best to protect it."

* * *

**Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

Six weeks later, Logan and Marie were on a private plane, along with a skeleton version of his and Stryker's teams.

Logan had convinced Stryker that he no longer needed a full team, so the good doctor sent almost all of his men away, save for the ones who were "vital" to the program. Luckily, Victor was not one of the team members who stayed. Logan was glad that he could avoid bringing his brother to the new facility to live with the young women who were already, or were about to become, pregnant. Sad to say, but the feral couldn't be trusted not to hurt them in their delicate conditions.

With him, he took the most compassionate, most obedient team members he had. Of those few he took, one of them was Peter, a gentle giant who had already been "paired" with Katherine, one of the girls Stryker was holding. Peter was the epitome of the 'strong, silent type'. He was a nice guy, but out of the ten years he'd known him, he had said maybe five words.

Now, as he sat on the plane next to Katherine, whispering to her intimately, he realized that their "pairing" might be working out pretty well, given the circumstances.

Logan glanced across the aisle at Marie, who looked extremely ill. The turbulence, combined with her pregnancy, was making for a very unpleasant flight.

She'd made several trips to the bathroom and now seemed to be contemplating filling the barf bag she clutched in her hands. Logan got up and walked a few rows up before he leaned over to whisper to Stryker, "Isn't there anything you can give her? She's real sick."

Stryker, who had been reading, glanced at Marie from atop his glasses and shrugged before looking back down at his paperwork, "She's fine."

"No she's not. She can't stop puking her guts out."

Stryker gave Logan an odd look and sighed, "She is fine, Colonel."

Logan sighed and looked back at Marie, then walked to the galley, where a small refrigerator was. He rummaged through it until he found a ginger ale. He filled a glass with ice, and then poured the ginger ale over the ice before walking over to Marie and handing it to her, "Here."

She glanced up at him, "What's this?"

"Ginger ale…should help take the edge off."

Marie cautiously took the glass from him and muttered, "Thank you."

She slowly began sipping her ginger ale, which did help calm her stomach and prevented her from vomiting again. Meanwhile, Stryker had watched the exchange with great interest.

When they landed at the private airstrip, they were driven, via motorcade, up winding roads that led them deep into the mountains. It seemed to take hours to reach the new facility. When they did finally reach it, everyone seemed taken aback at how intricate and large the place was.

The new facility was a network of buildings that resembled large log cabins. There was a large building in the center that seemed to be slightly raised above the others. Down below the large center building, there were several other buildings connected to it via covered stairways.

Thanks to the blueprints he'd skimmed over, Logan knew that the center building was the living quarters, so he, Peter and his other two team members led Marie, Katherine and the two other females to the living quarters.

The girls hadn't really seen each other prior to today since they'd been isolated before, so Logan could tell that they were chomping at the bits to talk to each other. When they entered the girls living area, they found a kitchen, living area and separate bedrooms and bathrooms. There was a shared game room and library inside the general living facilities nearby.

Stryker followed them into the quarters and patted Logan on the back, "No need to guard them closely in here, Colonel. No knives, no weapons…no opening windows."

Marie shot Stryker a glare before walking to her new bedroom, which was equipped with a comfy-looking full sized bed, large windows and an attached full bathroom. She opened the dresser to find nothing but the bare essentials. White tank tops, sweat pants, underwear and a couple of sports bras.

She almost jumped out of her skin when Logan appeared at her door, "Settling in OK?"

"Shit! Don't you make noise when you walk?!"

Logan held up his hands in surrender, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya."

Marie relaxed slightly, "Yeah. I'm settlin' in fine."

"Good to know."

He started to walk away, but she called his name, which prompted him to stop and turn around to look at her, "I just wanted to thank you…for the ginger ale earlier. It helped."

"Don't mention it."

Logan walked away and left the girls living quarters before locking the only door from the outside. As soon as he was gone, the girls all convened in the living room.

They stood there in silence for several moments before Marie spoke up, "Um. I'm Marie D'Ancanto. 19 years old. Turn 20 next month…ran away from home when my mutation manifested itself a few years ago…I'm pregnant…and the leader of our security team is the father."

Katherine spoke up, "How far along are you?"

Marie sighed, "13 weeks…"

The young Asian girl plopped down in an arm chair, "My name is Jubilation Lee, but you gals can call me Jubilee. I'm 18 and I ran away from home last year. I'm not paired yet…"

The last young lady spoke up, "I'm Lauren. 18…not paired yet."

Katherine favored the other girls with a wave, "Katherine Pryde, but my friends call me Kitty. I'm 17…paired with Peter…not pregnant yet."

Marie noticed the fear in Katherine's voice and frowned, "How long have you been paired?"

"Coming up on two months."

The girls looked at each other, but said nothing. They all knew the rule by now. Girls who weren't successfully bred would become lab rats by default.

A heavy silence settled over the room before Jubilee clapped her hands together, "Enough with the doom and gloom. We're out of those damn cells, let's see if there's anything in the kitchen we can whip up."

An hour or so later, the girls had put a frozen pizza in the oven, and were tossing various pre-cut veggies in a salad (since they weren't allowed knives). Kitty glanced over at Marie as she sprinkled some pepper in the salad, "So…how do you like Logan?"

"I don't", Marie said quickly.

"You guys don't talk?"

Marie shook her head quickly, "What's to say?"

"Well…I dunno. Pete and I talk about everything."

She cocked her head to the side and regarded the young woman carefully, "You actually…like him?"

"Well, I have to admit, I thought he was sexy from the moment I saw him, but I guess I realized that we're kinda both victims of circumstance."

Marie furrowed her eyebrows and leaned against the counter, "But he's choosing to follow an order that is wrong! It's morally wrong."

Kitty sighed and looked Marie square in the eye, "Being 'wrong' is all relative. To him, not following an order is 'wrong'. He's been in the military for twelve years. This is his life and he tries to live it as best he can. He didn't hurt me…and even though I don't want to be here…I know why he's following those orders."

"So…are you just content with having to be bred?"

Kitty pursed her lips, "I'm terrified of getting pregnant. I don't think I'd survive if I had a baby, then had it taken away from me."

Marie's hand subconsciously moved to her belly, "I've had nightmares about that moment since the day I found out I was pregnant."

When Jubilee bounded into the kitchen, the girls immediately changed the subject.

That night, Marie laid down in her bed with the door open, welcoming the distraction from sleep if it just so happened that any of the other girls stayed awake. She was so happy about having social interaction, she wouldn't mind if it interrupted her sleeping patterns.

The "house" was quiet, and, before she knew it, she had started to drift off. She didn't hear it when Logan entered her room and closed her door. It wasn't until she felt his weight on her bed did she jump and gasp, "Oh my god! You scared the shit outta me!"

He placed a finger against his lips in an effort to shush her, "Shh…sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Marie ran a hand through her hair and sat up, "What are you doin' here?"

Logan stared at her for a second, "I uhhh…I guess I just wanted to check on you."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "You did?"

"You are carryin' my kid…" he said with a brief smirk.

Marie stared at him for several seconds before she shook her head and looked down, "No. I'm not. I'm just incubating a super soldier…"

Logan stared at her, "I may not know you very well, but I know you well enough to know that you don't really feel that way."

"So what? Even if that's not how I feel, what good will it do to whine and cry about a future that I can't change?"

He nodded and sighed, "Good point, I guess."

She sighed, "Are you finished checkin' on me?"

"Actually, no."

Marie rolled her eyes and laid back down, "Fine. Continue checkin'. I'm goin' to sleep."

Logan stared at her, "You'll hate me forever, won't you?"

The level of sadness in his voice when he said that surprised her. She rolled back over to look into his eyes and realized that he actually looked concerned.

Marie's expression softened slightly, "Hate is a really strong word…I usually reserve it for ex-boyfriends and bitchy customer service people…"

Logan let out a brief laugh before falling silent and looking at her, "You know why I did what I did, right?"

"Maybe you should try explaining it again."

Without hesitation, he started talking, "I'm over 150 years old. Of those years, over a hundred of them have been spent in the military, taking orders. I'm a soldier. It's who I am. It's been engrained in me. I receive an order from the government I serve, I follow it."

"Without question?"

Logan nodded, "Yeah. Good soldiers don't question. That's somethin' else you learn after serving in the army for over a hundred years."

Marie let out a sigh and closed her eyes, "Why couldn't you have picked another profession to immerse yourself in? If you'd a been a doctor who saved lives, no questions asked…we—you and I-"

"…we might've had a fighting chance…" he finished for her.

She stared into his eyes for some time before looking away, "Thank you for comin' to check on me."

Logan stood and nodded, "Yeah. Thanks for talkin' to me…without yelling."

Marie rolled her eyes and smiled as he turned and walked out of her room.

Maybe it was the breakthrough they had that evening. Maybe it was the fact that their surroundings were more relaxed…or maybe it was their growing baby, but Marie and Logan began to interact on more comfortable, friendly terms.

The girls were still being subjected to round after round of tests, but the difference was, after they got done getting poked and prodded, they were able to come back to the quarters and seek comfort in a pint of ice cream as they curled up on a couch with a friend to talk to.

The situation was a little more tolerable, but the fear and uncertainty that lay in the girls future kept them on edge.

Six weeks after their arrival in the mountains, Marie was almost 20 weeks along, and Kitty had yet to become pregnant.

Logan heard more buzz about making Kitty a test subject, and he could tell that Peter was not happy about that possibility…but so far, it was only rumor.

The season changed, and winter was now upon them. Logan heard on the radio that a snowstorm would hit their area, so he and his team performed a thorough check of all of the generators. He took it upon himself to go into the girls living quarters to make sure they had extra blankets and space heaters just in case the power did go out.

When he arrived at Marie's door, he noticed that it was slightly ajar. He took a quiet step forward to peek in and saw her laying on the bed with headphones on her tummy. She was gently humming a song as she stroked the small swell in her abdomen.

For some reason, Logan's heart clenched painfully in his chest. She looked so sweet…so maternal…so beautiful.

Before he got too lost in the scene of her lovingly stroking her belly, he cleared his throat and knocked on her door. Marie quickly jumped and snatched the headphones away before sitting up, "Hey. Makin' the rounds?"

Logan nodded, "Yep. Just wanted to make sure you have extra blankets before we hunker down for the storm."

Marie nodded, "Yeah. I think I'm set."

"Good."

He started to walk out, but she stopped him with one simple statement, "I can feel it move."

Logan turned around quickly to see her sheepishly cradling her belly. He took a cautious step forward, "Come again?"

"The baby…I felt it move."

"When?"

Marie shrugged a little, "It started a week ago, I think. Like bubbles at first…but now it's like…little nudges."

"Oh…"

There was a moment of silence before she pursed her lips, "Do you wanna try to feel?"

Logan stared at her for a few moments, "Um…yeah. I guess. Sure."

He slowly walked over and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. After a few awkward moments of complete silence and stillness, Logan felt the faintest of nudges against his hand. His eyes widened as he snatched his hand away and stared at her stomach, "I felt it!"

Marie laughed, "Told you."

Logan couldn't help the grin that spread across his lips, "That's crazy…"

She lovingly stroked her stomach and nodded, "But it's real…it's our real baby."

He looked at her with sad eyes, "Marie—"

"I know I've pretended that I can accept that I'm just incubating a super soldier…but I can't lie to myself like that anymore. I know that this is my baby. This is our baby. It might be a boy with your smile and my eyes…or a little girl with my stubbornness and your sense of adventure. Every time I close my eyes, I think about this baby, and all the wonderful things they could grow up to become…if I could escape this place."

Logan started to shake his head, "I don't—"

She grabbed his hands and looked at him with tear rimmed eyes, "Please, Logan. I know you're a soldier. I know that orders are the most important thing to you, but please…this is your child. Shouldn't the presence of a life you helped create take precedence over any order you're given?"

"It's not just that, Marie. I don't think you realize who'd be lookin' for you even if you did manage to escape this place. You're seein' how nice this place is on the inside, but all it is is Alcatraz, 2.0. I designed the security in this place. I hand-picked the men who guard the perimeter. Even if an escape was made, they'd realize it immediately. And then, after you make an escape, you could never stop running. It doesn't matter whether you try to flee to Canada or Bora Bora…their jurisdiction is everywhere. They would hunt you down."

Marie wiped at her eyes, "He can't take my baby…"

Logan pulled her into a hug, which she allowed for a few moments before she pulled away from him and laid in her bed, preferring to curl into her pillow.

He left her room that night realizing that he'd failed the "good person test" yet again. She'd given him multiple chances to be a better person than he was soldier, but, for some reason, he pissed those chances away.

The next morning, he escorted Marie to a room located in one of the adjoined buildings. It looked almost like a private theater room, except for the fact that there was a medical table set up in the front of the room with an ultrasound machine. There was a large screen and stadium-style arranged seating, just like in a movie theater.

Stryker arrived and instructed Logan to help Marie onto the table as he and Dr. Henry turned on the ultrasound machine.

Soon after they got situated, one of Stryker's assistants led several men in. Most were in military uniform, while some were in civilian clothes. Logan took a seat in the front row as Stryker began talking to the gathered crowd, "Gentlemen, you're here to witness a very very exciting moment in the phase of our Super Mutant Soldier project. You all will have the distinct privilege of watching the anatomy ultrasound performed live on our very first subject…our primary subject. The paternal donor in this case is Colonel James Logan Howlett, who is currently my head of security. He has incomparable regenerative capabilities and has far more strength and stamina than the average man. He also has enhanced senses. The maternal incubator in this case has the unparalleled ability to siphon the powers and life force of anyone she touches. If these powers happen to combine in this child, he or she could be the perfect soldier. Today, during this ultrasound, we'll be ensuring there are no imperfections and we'll probably want to look for gender."

Marie lay back as Stryker placed the sonogram wand against her stomach. Suddenly, the large screen before them flickered to life and showed the larger-than-life image of the baby as it kicked and punched inside of her.

Logan's mouth dropped open a little as Stryker began pointing out pieces of the anatomy…a perfect head, perfect spine, perfect brain, long arms, long legs, big feet…and a penis. He felt his heart begin to thud painfully again…only this time, he wasn't confused as to why he felt so conflicted.

Marie tried to remain stoic as they made the announcement, but she couldn't stop one of the many tears that were threatening to fall from the corner of her eye…

When the ultrasound was over, they left the images replaying on the screen as the men filed out of the room. Logan, who was too filled with emotion that he didn't understand or know how to handle, called Peter to have him take Marie back to her quarters.

After Marie left, he was alone in the ultrasound theater with the video images of his unborn son replaying on the large screen before him.

He sighed and walked over to the screen before timidly reaching a hand out to touch it. He traced his hand over the baby's profile before closing his eyes and letting out a breath.

"A boy…", he whispered.

Hours later, when most of the people in the compound were asleep, Logan crept into Marie's room and woke her up as he put a hand on her mouth. She looked confused as she sat up, but he shushed her, "We're gettin' outta here."

Her eyes lit up as he grabbed her some clothes to put on. She quickly and quietly put on her clothes and a large, thick jacket he supplied before he opened the door.

They were immediately confronted by Peter's formidable presence, who stood directly in their path. Logan reached back and pushed Marie backwards, readying for a fight.

"Outta the way, Peter."

Peter sighed, "Take Kitty with you. Please."

"What?" asked Logan.

"She's not pregnant…and I think that, if she stays, and doesn't get pregnant, they'll start using her for experiments. I can't let that happen to her."

Marie peeked around Logan and saw the sad expression on Peter's face. Logan narrowed his eyes, "What's it to you if they experiment on her?"

Peter straightened and cleared his throat, "I love her, sir."

Logan let out a breath, "Go get her ready. Make it quick and quiet."

The younger man nodded quickly and rushed to Kitty's room. Marie looked at Logan, "What about the other girls?"

He shook his head, "I was just tryin' to get you and the kid safe. It's bad enough we have to drag that other girl along. If we turn this into a field trip, we'll be easy as hell to catch."

Marie pursed her lips as Peter brought Kitty out into the living room. He turned to her and took her face in his hands, "I will find you later, alright? Logan is smart. He'll keep you safe. Just do everything he says and you'll be fine."

Kitty sniffled and nodded before she wrapped her arms around him for a tight hug, "Why can't you come with us?"

"I have to stay behind to make sure you get a head start. Don't worry about me. I'll see you soon."

"Take care of Jubes and Lauren…OK?"

Peter nodded before they kissed passionately, prompting Logan to grumble, "We gotta go."

Peter kissed Kitty on the forehead and walked over to Logan, "I'm going to clear you a path out of the northeast entrance. I'll try to make sure no one realizes you're gone until dawn. After that…"

Logan nodded, "I know. I know."

Peter let out a sigh, "Look after her…please."

He nodded, "I will."

Meanwhile, Marie and Kitty were holding hands, waiting.

Peter left first, and, as promised, he was able to secure their way out of the facility. Once they were out, they were confronted with freezing temperatures, intermittent snowfall, rough terrain and limited visibility.

When Marie almost slipped and fell, Logan utilized his quick reflexes to catch her, "Shit…careful, kid. You alright?"

Marie nodded, "Yeah. Close call, but I'm OK."

Logan slowly released her, "Careful…ok? Hold onto me if ya have to."

She nodded as Kitty spoke up, "Is that a road?"

He glanced up, "Yeah. But we have to stay away from it for now. Don't wanna get spotted by any people who might be goin' to and from the facility."

It seemed like they had been walking forever by the time the sun rose. They stopped only once to give Marie a chance to rest, but they had to power on.

She was feeling a little sore and crampy, but she refused to complain so that she didn't slow progress. Sometime during their journey, Kitty spoke up, "Where are we going?"

Logan glanced at her, "A long time ago, this guy approached me…said he was lookin' for mutants who wanted to fight for the greater good. Said his name was Charles Xavier. I told him I wasn't interested. Few years later, I heard he'd founded a school for the gifted, but from what I heard through the government grapevine, the school is like a safe haven for mutants."

"Where is it?"

"Westchester, New York. We get far enough away from the facility, we can get on the road and hitchhike there….maybe get there before tomorrow."

Despite the cold, hunger and pain Marie was dealing with, she pressed on without complaint. Logan noticed how quiet she was and raised a brow, "You OK?"

"I'm fine", she answered quickly…too quickly.

He gave her an odd look, "We're takin' a rest."

"I said I was fine", she claimed stubbornly.

"…and I said we're takin' a rest. Take a load off."

Kitty happily sat down on a nearby fallen tree trunk as Marie and Logan sat on a couple of rocks. She put a hand against the side of her belly and let out a sigh of relief when she felt the baby shift within her. As long as he was moving…she knew he was alright.

Logan watched, "You OK?"

Marie nodded, "He's movin'."

"Good."

Kitty smiled, "Have any name ideas?"

Marie let out a weak laugh, "You mean other than Weapon 101?"

After a few minutes, Logan got the girls going again. That evening, he felt that it was safe enough to get them to a road and finally find a ride. It took them nearly two hours of walking along the road with their thumbs out before a kindly old man and his wife in a station wagon picked them up.

They were on their way to Virginia for a family reunion and owned a farm in upstate New York.

It took them two hours to reach the gates of the mansion that housed the Xavier School for the Gifted. Marie was exhausted, in pain, thirsty and hungry. She stood outside of the large gate, trying not to pass out as Logan hit the buzzer. After a few moments, a voice came through, "May I help you?"

"Uhh, yeah. I was told this is a safe place for—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kitty shrieked as she attempted to catch Marie's falling form before it hit the ground.

Logan rushed to her side as the voice on the other end of the intercom system grew urgent, "Hello?! Are you alright?"

Kitty ran over to the intercom, "Please, help us. My friend is pregnant, and she just passed out."

A couple of minutes later, the gate opened. A woman with bright red hair followed by a furry blue man and another guy who wore red sunglasses rushed out.

The woman with the red hair and the blue man knelt beside her, "How far along is she?"

"About 20 weeks", said Logan.

"We need to get her inside", said the man with red sunglasses, who reached to pick Marie up.

Logan let out a warning growl, "I'll carry her."

A half hour later, Logan realized the names of the people who were helping them were Jean, Hank and Scott. They had been initially led through the mansion, then to a hidden elevator that led to a hidden lower level complete with a med lab and sterile-looking metal hallways.

Marie woke up soon after being placed on the exam table by Logan. He was flattered that she immediately began asking for him when she regained consciousness.

After an examination, Jean surmised that Marie was dehydrated and was suffering from low blood sugar.

"A good meal and an IV bag of fluid will make you right as rain", said Jean with a kind smile.

Scott took note of their new guests haggard, dirty appearance and cocked his head to the side, "What brings you here?"

"Marie here is my wife…Kitty is my sister. We're from a small town up north. When Kitty accidentally used her powers in public, they decided to run the mutie family outta town."

"That's not really true…is it, Colonel?" said the calm voice of a bald, older man who rolled into the med lab in his wheel chair.

Logan straightened and immediately recognized Charles Xavier. The only thing different about the man from their meeting years ago was the fact that he had a lot less hair.

Scott crossed his arms, "Are you three running from the law? We're not in the business of harboring fugitives…mutant or not."

Logan shot Scott a glare as Charles raised a hand to quiet the young leader, "Our guests need rooms and a hot meal. Hank, would you be so kind as to ask Storm to prepare some food for our guests while they're shown to their rooms?"

"I want to make sure Marie finishes her IV bag before I release her, so, you might need to ask Storm to have her meal brought down here."

Logan looked at Marie and took a step closer to her, "I'm not leavin' her."

"I'm fine…really", she said, favoring him with a reassuring smile.

Logan hesitated for a bit before he left her. The blue man led them to two rooms. One for Logan and Marie, and the other for her.

As soon as he was alone, he stripped down and got into the shower. By the time he was pulling on the sweats that were stashed in the closet, he heard a knock at the door. When he answered, he was face-to-face with a carmel-skinned woman with white hair who carried a tray of food.

She smiled, "All we had was leftover meatloaf…I hope it'll do."

"Uh. That's great. Thanks. Did you give Marie her food already?"

Storm nodded as she handed him the tray, "Hank took her food downstairs already."

"What about Kitty?"

"She just walked down to the kitchen with Scott."

Logan's jaw tightened, "I'm uh…kinda protective over them…so I'm sorry if I've been a little…er…short, with you people."

She held up both hands, "I completely understand. The professor says you're to be taken care of. So you're going to be taken care of."

"Thanks."

"Let me know if you need anything else", she said before turning and walking away.

Logan scarfed his food down before opening the door to go downstairs. Just as he entered the hall, he saw Marie being led by Jean toward the room. He walked over and placed an arm around her shoulder, "Hey…how are ya feelin'?"

"Just tired…and gross. I'd love a shower."

"Did you eat?"

Marie nodded, "Faster than I've ever eaten in my life."

Jean smiled, "Hank is on his way up with seconds."

Logan smirked, "Good."

When Jean was gone and Marie had the opportunity to shower, she sat down on the bed to eat some of the extra food Hank had brought her. Logan watched intently, which made her glance up from her food, "I'm actin' like a pig, huh?"

Logan shook his head, "Nah. Eat up. I'm sure it's good for the kid."

Marie smiled, "You really care about this baby, don't you?"

"Yeah. Definitely enough to destroy my life as I know it…"

She sighed, "If it's any consolation…I think you did the right thing."

"I wish I'd planned better."

Marie looked around and raised her arms, "This place is safe, warm, and has delicious food. I think you planned great."

"Yeah…and oddly enough, these people seem to wanna help us."

She raised a brow, "You seem suspicious."

He shrugged a little, "I've been around a long time…I always think there's an ulterior motive to good deeds."

Marie nodded, "I understand. How long do you think we can stay here?"

"Dunno yet. Hopefully til the baby's born…but it all depends…"


	7. Chapter 7

The first night at the mansion was…awkward, to say the least.

When Marie was ready to go to sleep, she kind of stood beside the bed, looking at it like it might contain poisonous snakes. Logan raised a brow, "What's wrong?"

She shrugged a little, "Um…I think I'm gonna go stay in Kitty's room."

"What? They think we're married…if they-"

"I can come back early in the morning", she said, quickly cutting him off.

Logan nodded a little, clearly hurt that she didn't want to even sleep in the same bed as him after he managed to save her life, and the life of their baby. On the other hand, he couldn't entirely blame her. Technically, he was the man who had kidnapped her, been her prison guard, and impregnated her against her will.

There was a chance she'd never fully trust him.

He watched Marie walk out of the room, then plopped down on the bed, "I'm a fuckin' asshole."

Just as he continued to mentally berate himself, Marie was knocking on Kitty's door. She heard her call from within, "Who is it?"

"It's me Kitty…"

Kitty opened the door and furrowed her eyebrows, "Marie. Something wrong?"

"Can I stay in here with you?"

She nodded and opened the door wider, allowing her into the room, then closed it behind her. Marie slowly sat down on the bed and let out a soft sigh as she rubbed the side of her swollen stomach. Kitty sat down in the arm chair across from her, "Everything alright?"

"Given the circumstances…no."

"What's goin' on?"

Marie closed her eyes and shook her head, "I'm not sure…he saved our lives, right? But it was this side of like five months ago that he practically forced himself on me so that he could knock me up with a soldier-baby…"

Kitty sat back, "Well, look. I know you'd be crazy to ignore what he's done to you in the past, but it's more important to judge people based on their present…"

"How can we say that? If Logan and Peter didn't have the excuse of bein' a soldier to hide behind, they'd be in jail for kidnapping and rape."

Kitty sobered noticeably at the mention of Peter's name and lowered her head, "Excuses can't be made for what they did…but I was able to understand that being a soldier and taking orders is all they knew. Our perception of right and wrong is molded by our experiences in life…what if you grew up thinking that it's right to hit someone who cuts in front of you at the grocery store…or you grew up thinking it was normal to stone men who cheat to death…it's all relative. It's just a matter of rehabbing their believe system and trying to help them understand that there's something out there worth changing their perception of the world over."

Marie stared at Kitty for a while, "What would that something be?"

Kitty smiled sadly, "The love of a good woman…in your case, that, and a bouncing baby boy…"

She smiled at the younger girl and sighed, "Ya know…when we first met, I thought you would be this superficial, ditzy chick."

Kitty laughed and sat back in her chair, "Being kidnapped and subjected to the stuff we were, you kinda grow up fast."

Marie nodded, "Yeah. I feel like a million times older now than I did before…and I was working for pennies at a shitty diner getting groped by truck drivers."

The next morning, Marie woke up early and made her way back to Logan's room. He was already awake, sitting up in bed, staring out the window. The fact that he was shirtless didn't go unnoticed as temporarily lost her ability to speak at the sight of his amazingly chiseled chest and arms.

He glanced back at her and raised a brow, "Sleep OK?"

She nodded, "Yeah. You?"

"I don't sleep much."

Marie never knew that about him. Out of the many times they'd had sex throughout that week long period over five months ago, they'd obviously never slept together. She didn't know much about him or his everyday life, but as she coped with the very recent realization that she would actually be able to keep and raise the child—rather than having Stryker snatch him away immediately after birth, she realized that she should probably get to know the father of her baby so that she could know what kind of traits he could inherit.

"Why don't you sleep?"

He cracked his neck and slowly stood as he continued staring out the window, "Nightmares."

"What do you have nightmares about?"

Logan looked at her for a long time before sighing and grabbing his shirt from the end of the mattress. She tried not to look disappointed as he pulled his shirt over his head, "Wars…fighting…"

She sighed, "I'm sorry."

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her.

That declaration had caught him by surprise. She was "sorry" he had nightmares every night and couldn't sleep? After all he had done to her and put her through…she was able to show him some compassion.

Logan cleared his throat and nodded, "Uhh…yeah. I'm fine. How are you feelin'? Kid movin' around like normal?"

Marie nodded and moved a hand to her belly, "Yeah. He's active."

"Good. I'm gonna wash up…then go downstairs and see if I can talk to Chuck. You and Kitty should see if there's some breakfast you can scrounge up."

An hour or so later, Marie and Kitty were sitting in the cafeteria, eating their breakfast. Most of the children were in class, but a few older teenagers lingered, staring at the girls and whispering among themselves.

Kitty shifted uncomfortably and whispered to Marie, "Why are they staring at us?"

"We're new. Comes with the territory."

Just as Marie finished her sentence, a young man, who was probably the same age as Marie, walked over. He smiled politely, "Hi. My name's Bobby."

Kitty smiled back hesitantly, but Marie remained stoic, "I'm Kitty. This is my…uh…sister-in-law Marie."

Bobby nodded and smiled at Marie, "Right. Scott mentioned you. You're pregnant, right?"

She placed a protective hand on her stomach, "He told you that?"

"Yeah. It's exciting cause the youngest kid we've ever had in the house was like 6. It'll be fun to have a baby around."

Marie didn't feel comfortable knowing that her baby was already being thought of as the school mascot. They hadn't even been there for 24 hours. This Bobby guy was a little too chummy for her liking.

Bobby smiled again, "So, where are you guys from?"

Logan's arrival made Bobby quickly shut his mouth. He stood directly next to the boy, dwarfing him with his large frame, "You girls alright?"

Kitty nodded, "Bobby here was just introducing himself."

To Logan's surprise, Marie stood and moved over to Logan, quickly intertwining her arm in his and taking his hand, "Yeah. Bobby was just saying hi. This is my husband, Logan."

It was clear that Marie felt uncomfortable around Bobby, which is why she was seeking solace in Logan's formidable shadow. He surmised she figured the evil she knew was better than the evil she didn't know.

He gently wrapped her hand in his and pulled her close, "Chuck wants to talk to you, hon. You up for it, or do ya need to lay back down?"

Marie shook her head as he looked up at Bobby, who seemed more than a little intimidated by his presence, "I'm fine. Lead the way."

Logan glanced at Kitty, "You OK?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. You two go ahead."

He favored Bobby with a stern glare before leading Marie out. It wasn't until they reached the hallway outside of the cafeteria, did he realize Marie was shaking like a leaf.

Logan stopped walking and gently touched her arm, "Hey…you OK?"

Marie shook her head and let out a shaky breath, "I just…I feel a little anxious."

"Cause of that guy? Did he say somethin' to you?" he almost growled at the thought of someone frightening or threatening her.

She quickly shook her head, "No. He didn't say anything. I just…I guess I'm nervous cause he just came up and talked to me. He was nice…and I just…I'm scared that the next nice guy who comes up to me is gonna have some secret agenda...like you did."

Logan cleared his throat, "I see."

He didn't know what to say. She had a fear of nice guys because he'd originally been a "nice" guy…then he hurt her.

Marie pursed her lips, "I'm sorry."

"No. Don't be. Let's just go talk to this Xavier guy."

Without another word, he led her to a large oak door and knocked. A calm voice from within called out, "Come in", which prompted Logan to open the door.

Charles sat behind his desk as he smiled at the two, "Please, sit down."

Logan and Marie sat down in chairs in front of his desk, "I wanna make sure Marie rests as much as possible, so if you could make this quick—"

"Certainly. I understand", said Charles quickly.

Marie smiled, "Thank you so much for lettin' us stay here."

"Of course, we're happy to help."

"So…what is this meeting about?" asked Logan.

"I'm not sure if you know of my mutation, but I happen to be a telepath…and whenever an individual enters the premises of this school, I perform a…psychic scan, if you will, to ensure that they do not pose a risk to the children and faculty of my school."

Marie could practically hear the muscles in Logan's body tense as Charles continued, "Of course, my scan of you revealed the real nature of your relationship with the two young women you're traveling with, Colonel."

Logan looked down, "I'm tryin' to be a better man…for Marie…and for our son."

She looked at him quickly, but tried to hide her surprise. He had never referred to the baby as "our son" before.

Charles sighed, "I may be able to appreciate that sentiment, however, I know what you've done to Marie in the name of following orders…and I know what you've done in your past. I do not feel comfortable with you here, living among my students."

Marie sat forward, "Mr. Xavier, please. We have nowhere else to go."

"You and Katherine are welcome to stay, Marie. In exchange for helping with the children and around the school, I offer you free room, food and safety. You would have an unparalleled support system here…for you and your son."

She pursed her lips and looked at Logan. He could tell that she felt confused and lost, but Logan immediately knew what he had to do.

He cleared his throat, "Alright. I'll leave."

"What?"

Charles nodded, "Very well."

Marie started to shake her head as Logan stood and pulled her up by her hand, "We'll talk in private."

He led her out of Charles' office and closed the door behind them. She stopped when he tried to lead her down the hallway, "What in the hell was that?"

"That was me makin' sure you and my kid have a safe place to live."

Marie shook her head and tried to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke, "There's got to be another way. Maybe if we—"

"Chuck was right, darlin'. I'm no good for you…and even if he thought I was, it's not safe for me to stay. Stryker has a better shot at findin' you if I stick around."

She shook her head, "Logan—"

"I'm gonna pack a bag. I'll be fine, kid. I've been survivin' on my own for longer than you've been alive."

"B-b-but, what about the baby?"

Logan nodded, "When I snuck you away from Stryker, my only goal was to make sure you and this kid were safe. I've done enough to hurt you…and if this is what I have to do to try to make it right, I'm gonna do it."

He walked away without another word, leaving Marie to fight back tears.

Twenty minutes later, Logan was sitting on the bed in Marie's bedroom with some toiletries and a couple of pairs of sweat pants stuffed inside of a duffle bag resting at his feet. He was in such deep thought, he didn't notice Marie enter the room.

When she started toward him, he looked up, "Oh. Hey. Was just about to hit the road."

Marie pursed her lips in an effort to keep her lip from trembling as she walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his cheek.

Logan closed his eyes and leaned his face into her hand. He reopened his eyes and looked up at her. From his place on the bed, he was eye level to her belly, so he slowly snaked his hands up her waist and pulled her stomach close before lifting up her shirt and laying a gentle kiss on the swollen mound.

Marie gently ran a hand through his hair and moaned as he began trailing kisses across the surface of her belly.

She quickly yanked her shirt off over her head before leaning down to kiss him hungrily as he pulled her on top of him, guiding her onto his lap so that she was straddling him on the bed.

When the kiss ended, Logan eagerly buried his face in her neck, licking and nipping at the soft flesh.

Marie gasped and arched as he pulled her bra cup down and latched onto one of her sensitized nipples. She reached between them and slowly began rubbing the growing bulge in his pants, which forced a groan from his throat before he gently laid her down on her back. He kissed his way down her body before he pulled her sweats and underwear off.

Once she was fully naked, he kissed his way up the inside of her thigh until he reached her moistening slit. He ran his tongue up her pussy, then began gently licking at her clit.

Marie arched her back and reached down to run her fingers through his hair as he toyed with the sensitive bundle of nerves.

When he was through, he slowly crawled up her body and laid a gently kiss against her neck before slowly pushing himself inside of her. Marie moaned and looked up into his eyes as he began moving in and out of her at a slow, steady pace. Logan leaned down to kiss her lips as he continued pumping in and out of her, then rolled them back over without removing himself from the warm embrace of her tight pussy.

Marie sat up on top of him and began rolling her hips onto him, moaning and panting as her body inched closer and closer to orgasm. Logan caressed and stroked every inch of skin he could get his hands on. He needed to touch her as much as possible...since he knew he would likely never touch her again.

She kissed him lovingly and whispered, "Logan….Logan…"

"That's it, baby…let go…cum for me, darlin'…"

Almost as soon as he said it, she did it.

When he felt her pussy clamp down on his cock, he lost control and gripped her body to his as she jerked atop him, crying out his name through her orgasm.

A couple of hours later, Marie was asleep on the bed naked beneath the thin sheet. Logan, who was now fully dressed, stood at the foot of the bed, staring at her sleeping form.

He silently walked over to the side of the bed and took a deep breath as he leaned down to kiss her forehead, then gently, but briefly, rubbed a hand across her stomach.

By the time Marie woke up, Logan was gone.

Logan had met with Charles one last time before leaving, making the man promise him that he would look after Marie and the baby. Of course, Charles agreed to keep Marie safe, and even provided Logan with a prepaid cell phone that he would contact him on should any emergencies arrive with Marie.

He headed north to Canada, hoping to ensure that he was far away from the school, just in case Stryker started sniffing around Westchester.

Eventually, Logan got a job as a lumberjack and made a home inside of a small trailer in the middle of a small mountain town in the Canadian mountains.

Meanwhile, Marie struggled to adjust to life in the mansion. Luckily, Kitty was there to help her. The girls stuck together, but eventually found friendship in Storm, Scott and Jean.

Her pregnancy progressed beautifully, but everyone could tell that she was saddened by Logan's absence. Despite her unique circumstances, she pressed on and remained positive.

One evening, about 18 weeks later, while Logan was heating up a microwavable meal in the kitchenette of his trailer, he heard a beeping noise coming from his bedroom.

He walked in to see the prepaid cell phone, which he'd faithfully kept on and charged every evening, lit up.

Logan rushed over and picked up the phone. When he unlocked the screen, he saw a text from Charles that read, "_Your son, Ethan, was born at 7:15pm, weighing 8lbs 9oz and measuring 20 inches long. Birth was uncomplicated. Marie is doing well."_

He dropped down to the bed as he stared at the text, re-reading it over and over again. He was about to stand back up when another chime from the phone drew his attention back to the screen. He opened up the new text to see the image of his son and Marie, just after birth.

She looked exhausted, but elated as she held their son. Marie's hair was disheveled, and she was smiling down at the small bundle that she protectively cradled against her chest. Logan could see a shock of brown hair covering the boy's head, and bright, alert hazel eyes.

He'd never seen a picture more beautiful in his life.

He slowly dropped the phone and put his face in his hands.

Logan missed work for the next two days, being too despondent to leave his trailer. When he did return to work, he was almost fired when he almost got into a fight with one of his fellow lumberjacks.

That night, when he returned home, he picked up the phone and called the professor.

"Logan."

"I need to talk to her."

The professor sighed, "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Logan. She's very emotional right now…she just gave birth, and she's adjusting—"

"How is my son?"

Logan could practically hear the smile on the professor's lips as he spoke, "Oh, he's a charming young man. Perfectly healthy and very alert."

"How is she?"

The professor's tone grew a little more guarded, "She's adjusting beautifully…and she's very in love with little Ethan."

Logan sighed, "Look…tell her I'm thinkin' of her…and that I uh…I miss her."

"I will."

When Logan hung up the phone, he figured out a way to send the picture to a local drug store so that it could be printed. He picked it up the following day and stared at it for a long time before he placed it in his wallet.

* * *

**Review please!**


	8. Chapter 8

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

Ethan was a big boy and definitely a handful. Marie struggled to keep up with his frantic feeding schedule, the never ending diaper changes but luckily, Kitty ignored Marie's "I can do it myself" attitude and insisted on helping, which gave the single young mother a little bit of time to rest here and there.

During those rare moments of quiet, when Ethan was quietly sleeping in his crib, Marie would stare at him and shed silent tears. The little boy looked just like his father.

At first, she thought the fact that her son was the spitting image of his father was nature's cruel joke…but eventually, she coped with seeing her baby boy's wild brown hair and piercing hazel eyes every day.

When his first smile looked like more a mischievous smirk, she couldn't help but laugh.

As Ethan grew, so did Marie's affection for Logan. Every special moment she spent with her son reminded her of Logan and made her feelings for him go oven deeper.

She'd begun settling into her life at the mansion, tutoring the youngest students and undergoing intensive training under Scott and Hank's instruction. She wanted to make sure that she could protect herself and Ethan…should the necessity arise.

When her son was 5 months old, the professor asked Marie to go to Philadelphia with a class as a chaperone. Apparently Hank had to bow out of the trip for some government meetings, leaving Jean and Scott short one adult. Of course, the professor told her that she could take Ethan if she thought she could handle the jobs of motherhood and chaperone simultaneously.

Marie was hesitant, and initially refused to go, but after Kitty agreed to go on the trip with her, she was packing Ethan up for his first trip away from the mansion.

**_A few weeks later…_**

Logan sat at the bar, nursing a beer as he watched the hockey game on the tiny television behind the bar counter. When the game took a turn for the worse for his team, he tossed some money onto the counter, finished off his beer and favored the bar tender with a brief wave before walking out of the tiny establishment and out into the cold night.

As he walked up the dark road, he could have sworn he caught a brief trace of a familiar scent, but he brushed it off and continued making his way to his trailer.

When he reached his home, he started to put his key in his door, but suddenly, all of his senses alerted him to the presence of another feral.

He unsheathed his claws and growled, but before he could make another move, Victor stepped from around the side of the trailer, wearing a sinister smirk, "Hey little bro. Why so tense?"

Logan sheathed his claws, "What the fuck are you doin' here?"

"You never called…you never wrote…"

Logan tried to seem nonchalant as he opened his trailer door and stepped in, "Yeah. Well. Stayin' in touch never has been my strong suit."

"I guess not. Especially when you're on the run."

"What are you really doin' here, Vic?"

Victor stepped into the trailer and looked around at his brother's meager home before plopping down on the single tiny couch in the "living room" area, "I'm the calm before the storm, Jimmy. Stryker brought me back into the fold when you and your frail disappeared. Let me get involved with the breeding program…"

Logan's eyes widened when he thought of Marie's friend, Jubilee. Victor casually plucked at his nails, "Accidentally killed the bitch he hooked me up with…think her name was Lauren…"

Logan shook his head in disgust, "Fuck, Victor…what the hell is wrong with you?"

Victor ignored his brother's question and sighed, "So, after that didn't work, Stryker decided he wanted to pool his resources and recover his primary target…and his first soldier."

"Well, as you can see, I live here alone."

"Oh. I know. Stryker has a separate team for your frail and your kid. He knew I could track you without any problems."

"So, you're here to bring me in? Go ahead."

Victor sighed, "Look Jimmy, you've done a lot for me. You had my back when no one else did, so I'm gonna give you a head start. I'll tell Stryker you were gone by the time I got here, deal?"

Logan nodded slowly as Victor stood and started to leave, "Vic…when you said that he had a team for Marie and E—the baby…what do you mean?"

Victor sighed, "He's putting together a team right now. The target is a mansion in Westchester…"

Logan's eyes widened as his brother walked out of his trailer and disappeared into the darkness.

He grabbed up some belongings, as well as the cell phone Charles had given him, and hit the road in the beat up old truck he'd purchased from his boss.

As he drove, he tried to call Charles several times, but never got an answer. A sickening feeling told him that he was too late.

For a while, he thought about driving straight to the facility that he and Marie had escaped from, but his instincts kept telling him to just head straight to Westchester, so he did.

It took him two full days of driving before he finally pulled up to the gates of a darkened mansion. The gates were ajar, and the security system seemed to be deactivated, so he parked his truck on the street and cautiously proceeded down the driveway to the main house. He went to the side entrance and was startled to find that the door was open. One look into the mansion told him that Stryker had been there. Tables and chairs were overturned, art that had once hung neatly was askew or knocked from their place on the wall…and every single light was off.

He slowly walked inside and began poking his head into each and every room. He used his enhanced senses to try to sniff out any survivors…or lingering enemies.

It felt like it took him forever, but he was able to clear the top and main levels of the mansion. He almost gave up his search when he remembered the hidden lower level. He searched the wooden paneled wall for the secret elevator that led to the lower levels for several minutes before he finally found it.

When Logan entered the hallway, he immediately heard the sound of beating hearts and breathing. He followed the sounds to a locked door, "Hello? Is everyone alright in there?!"

The people on the other side of the door quieted considerably. He knew they'd probably be a little nervous about opening the door for anyone after an attack, so he sighed, "My name is Logan. The professor knows me. I'm Marie's friend. You know Marie?"

The door slowly opened and he was soon peering down at several small, frightened faces. The children ranged in age from 8 to 14, and he could tell they'd been hiding out in there for hours…if not a whole day. Logan motioned for them to come out, "Come on. They're gone. You're safe now."

The kids began murmuring amongst themselves. Logan stopped one of the older ones, "Where is everyone else?"

The tall, gangly teenaged boy trembled a little bit as he shook his head, "They took them. Miss Munroe…the professor…everyone else…they took them. Miss Munroe left us in here and said she was gonna go see if she could help the others, but she never came back. They took her. They took her! They took her!"

The teenaged boy dissolved into a fit of hysterical tears as one of his friends comforted him. Logan looked around at their scared faces and sighed, "You guys eat?"

An hour later, the kids were hunkered over sandwiches and various snacks in the dark kitchen as Logan stared out the window, listening and watching for any signs of danger. One of the kids came up to him and gently tugged on his hand, "Are they comin' back, mister?"

Logan looked down at the little girl's wide, frightened eyes, "No, kid. They got what they came for. You're safe now."

Since the attack was so recent, the kids were unwilling to separate from each other…or him, so they all gathered in the library with some pillows and blankets and curled up for sleep.

Logan stood watch, but eventually succumbed to sleep some time during the early morning hours.

He was awoken suddenly by the sound of a vehicle pulling in front of the mansion. He looked out of the window to see Jean stepping out of one of two large vans. She was talking to Scott as kids began to pile out of the vehicles.

Logan quickly sprinted out of the library and to the front doors before throwing them open, "Where the hell were you?!"

Jean's mouth dropped open, "L-Logan…what are you doing here?"

"Takin' care of the few kids Storm managed to save from Stryker's invasion."

Scott, stepped forward, "What?! Stryker's invasion? What are you talking about?"

"Stryker was here. He came here…and Marie…and Ethan…they're gone. He took them…and everyone else. There's a few kids left, but everyone else is gone."

Scott shook his head, "No. Oh God. No."

Jean shook her head, "Logan. Marie and Ethan—"

"Logan?"

It was probably the sweetest sound he'd ever heard in his life. He turned his head to meet Marie's eyes as she stood outside of the second van, holding a sleeping Ethan against her chest. Kitty stood next to her with one hand on her own chest and another on Marie's back, perhaps to keep her from passing out in shock.

He felt like he was moving in slow motion as he walked toward them.

When he finally stood in front of her, he couldn't find the right words to say, "I thought—"

"We have to see about the other children and arrange a move to the safe house", said Scott as he, Kitty and Jean shooed the kids into the mansion, leaving Marie, Ethan and Logan out front.

"How did Stryker find out where we were?"

Logan shook his head, "He has his ways. I was trying to make it here before he did, but when I got here, he'd already come and gone and these kids…"

Ethan's soft whine caught her attention, "Oh. Crap. He's due for a change and nurse."

He stared intently as she moved around him and toward the doors, but he quickly said her name, "Can I…come with you?"

Marie stared at him for several moments before nodding, "Yeah."

Logan followed her as she walked to her room. Once they arrived, they could tell that Stryker's forces had been in her room. Marie shuddered, "I can't believe he found us…"

"Don't worry about that. I'm gettin' you two outta here as soon as you get packed."

"They're goin' to a safe house. Where will **we** go?" she said as she laid Ethan down and began changing his diaper.

Logan began straightening out her room, "I dunno. Far away."

After she finished changing Ethan, she sat down on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned the top of her shirt before casually pulling her breast out. The baby quickly latched onto her nipple and began suckling as she looked up and continued their conversation, "We have to have a plan. I don't want to just put my son in a car and start a never ending road trip. The safe house is the best option for him."

He was briefly dumbstruck by the sight of her naked breast, but recovered in time to respond, "Our son."

"Excuse me?"

"You said 'my' son…he's our son."

She sighed, "I'm aware of that. It's just that, I've spent that last few months doing the middle of the night feedings, changing the diapers and bathing all by myself. It's just been me…so excuse me if I forget that you're a parent as well. You haven't been here, dealing with the everyday realities of being a parent."

Logan looked at Ethan as he continued to nurse, "You know why I had to leave."

Marie pursed her lips and let out a breath, "I know…and I'm sorry if I'm makin' you feel alienated…but this is hard."

Logan stared at the baby as he slowly moved away from Marie's nipple. She quickly covered her breast and put Ethan over her shoulder to burp him. Within a few seconds, the baby let out a small burp.

She smiled, "Atta boy."

"He's beautiful. Has he been doin' OK?"

Marie nodded and held Ethan in front of her to look into his smiling face, "Say yes I am. I'mma big boy. Yes I am…yes I am."

He watched as she kissed the baby's nose and gently lifted him in the air, just enough to make him squeal in delight.

"You're uh…you're really good with him."

She looked over at Logan and noticed the way he was staring at her. She cleared her throat, "Well, he's a good baby."

Marie cringed a little, "I really wanna go to the bathroom. I've spent hours holding it…"

Logan slowly held his hands out, "I can uh…I can take him while you do that."

She looked between Ethan and Logan's outstretched hands, "Um…you sure?"

"I'm not gonna hurt him."

"I didn't say that-"

"Then stop actin' like my hands are made of poisonous snakes and let me hold my own kid while you take a piss."

Marie slowly handed him over, "I'll be right back. Ok?"

Logan slowly held the baby close to his chest, awkwardly at first, but soon relaxed as Marie hesitantly walked to the bathroom.

When Marie returned, he was sitting in the rocking chair, gently swaying back and forth. She smiled a little, "I figured he would pass out after getting some boob."

Logan smirked a little, "A boob man…like his daddy."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself as she sat on the edge of her bed, "I didn't know if or when I'd see you again…or if you'd ever get to meet Ethan."

"I wanted to see you. I wanted to meet him…so I kept thinkin' that one day, I could figure out a way to stop Stryker so that we could—"

A knock at the door interrupted him. Marie opened the door and found Jean standing there, looking frazzled and not at all like her usual, meticulously put together self, "We're leaving in an hour to head to the safe house. Will you two be coming?"

Logan slowly shifted Ethan against his chest and stood, "Where is it?"

"Maine."

He looked down at the sleeping infant in his arms, then to Marie's worried eyes before he slowly nodded, "We'll meet you downstairs in an hour."

As soon as Jean left, Logan and Marie went to work, packing up her and Ethan's belongings. An hour later, the remaining residents of the mansion were loading up two vans, one SUV and a vehicle with children and necessities. Marie, Kitty, Logan and Ethan traveled in the car.

They stopped only once for gas and a very structured restroom stop, but six hours after they departed, they pulled up in front of a stately mansion hidden outside of a small town in Maine.

Logan began walking the perimeter of the vast property to get familiar with the sounds and scents of the surrounding area.

By the time he made his way back to the house, Scott was sitting on the front stoop, staring down at his cell phone. He glanced up to look at Logan, "Trying to get Hank on the phone. He's still in DC."

"If he's as important as you people say he is, maybe he can help us."

Scott sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Hopefully…uhhh…Marie's upstairs, getting settled into your room."

"Thanks", he said as he bounded up the stairs.

He immediately found himself in a large marble foyer with a curving staircase and ornate crystal chandelier. The kids were milling about, getting settled in and Jean was walking down the stairs, "Logan, have you seen Scott?"

"Just passed him outside. Which room is Marie in?"

"Go to the top of the stairs, go down the right hallway and she's in the last door on your left."

A few seconds later, Logan lightly knocked on Marie's door. When he heard no answer, he tried the handle and walked inside. The room was large, well-appointed and obviously one of the "master suites". It had an attached sitting room where Marie would likely want to set up Ethan's pack and play.

He walked further into the room upon hearing Marie's voice, accompanied by the sound of running water, coming from the attached bathroom. When he got to the doorway, he paused to take in the sight before him.

She was in the shower, holding Ethan in her arms as she sang to him. He could see her through the glass door, but she didn't see him as she continued singing a soft lullaby and gently shushing the cooing baby as she gently swayed back and forth.

He stared at them for several moments before he moved back into the room. He went back down to the car and brought up the remainder of Marie and Ethan's belongings, then promptly returned to set up Ethan's pack and play in the adjoining sitting room. He'd just put the mattress down when Marie emerged from the bathroom with their son, wrapped in a fluffy towel.

She smiled upon seeing the set up pack and play, "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

Logan shrugged a little, "I wanted to."

Marie laid Ethan down on the bed and finished drying him off before she got him dressed in his pajamas. Logan watched carefully as she discretely opened the top of the towel and nursed their son, humming to him as she stroked his dark hair.

When Ethan fell asleep, she re-closed the towel and walked over to the pack and play to lay him down.

Logan clasped his hands together as his eyes followed her body as she walked around the room, searching for the bag that contained her pajamas. He tried not to stare, but dammit…he couldn't help it.

He'd always been attracted to her, but now that he'd seen her be so attentive and amazing with their son, he couldn't help but want her even more.

Marie glanced up and cleared her throat, "You're staring."

"Sorry. I just…uh…you always take him into the shower?"

She shook her head, "No. Only when he's extra fussy. After bein' stuck in a car for six hours, he was a little tense. That, and we're in a new place, he needs a little extra cuddlin'."

Logan nodded, "You're really an amazing mom."

Marie noticed the way he was looking at her and slowly shook her head, "Don't."

"Don't-what?"

She sighed and closed her eyes, "Don't look at me like you're in love. You're just givin' me that look cause you're seein' me take care of your son and it's just confusin' you. It's not real."

Logan stood and started walking toward her, but she grabbed her pajamas and walked into the bathroom. She attempted to close the door behind her, but Logan stopped the door and pushed his way in, closing it behind him. She backed away a few feet and shook her head, "I'm not strong enough for this."

"The look I'm givin' you is real, baby…the same way I can tell what's in your eyes when you look at me. I've spent every day of the past ten months, dreamin' I could be back with you…" As he spoke, he backed her up into the wall opposite the shower. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "Dreamin' about meeting my son…" he kissed her other cheek, "Dreamin' about holding you both in my arms…" he murmured as he kissed her lips.

Marie moaned pitifully as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss was long, wet, passionate and ended all too soon as Logan broke away to yank open her towel to reveal her naked body underneath. He visibly shuddered upon seeing her in all of her glory and immediately unbuttoned his pants. Once his erection was free, he grabbed her up by the waist and forced her legs to wrap around his hips, "…and every night…I dreamt about bein' inside of you again…"

She bit back a loud moan as he thrust forward and drove his full length inside of her. Her entire body arched and froze against him as they both paused to relish the feel of her wet heat surrounding his throbbing cock.

When she adjusted, she slowly relaxed against him and looked into his eyes, "I missed you."

Logan ran a hand down her face before yanking her lips forward to hungrily kiss her as he began feverishly pumping into her wanton body.

He'd missed her so damn much. He'd wanted her for so long.

It wouldn't be nice, or slow or gentle this time. It was going to be rough, frenzied and desperate…

He fucked her with abandon, pouring every single emotion he had yet to express into every single thrust, kiss and suckle. Marie did the same, desperately clutching his body to hers as he transferred her from the wall to the edge of the sink counter.

She felt his thrusts grow erratic as he moaned and whispered breathlessly, "Give it to me, baby. Cum for me…cum for me…"

Within seconds, Marie did as she was told.

Somehow, they both remained mindful of the sleeping infant on the other side of the door and managed to not scream or roar as their mind-numbing orgasms seized control of their bodies.

Logan's thrusts slowed as he finished emptying himself inside of her and softly kissed her lips, "Oh god…Marie…"

She smiled and kissed him again as she stroked his face, "I'm glad you're here. I feel…safer…for myself and for Ethan."

Logan looked into her eyes and pulled her close, hugging her tight, "I'm never leavin' you two again. Ever."

* * *

**So sorry for the super long delay. The grammar, story structure and overall flow of this chapter was awful and my life is crazy, so it took forever to make this crap even partially post-able!**

**Review please!**


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